If past municipal elections are any indication, a small percentage of Nanaimo residents determine who will represent their interests in city hall.
In the most recent municipal election in 2008, just 32%, or 19,539 of the 61,860 eligible voters in Nanaimo, took the time to cast ballots to decide who would be the city's next mayor, its eight city councillors and the nine trustees in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district.
Some school board candidates were elected with slightly more than 5,000 votes in the 2008 election. Historically, byelections in the city have had even worse voter turnouts. Only 10% of eligible voters participated in the byelection to fill the seat left after the death of longtime councillor Larry McNabb in December.
Experts say that overall, approximately half as many people make the effort to vote in civic elections as compared to provincial contests, while provincial elections draw about 10% fewer voters than federal races.
Just 18 people will be elected to city hall and in the school district on Saturday. They will help control the combined annual budgets of almost $300 million of taxpayers' money.
A number of organizations in the city have begun spirited campaigns to explain the importance of voting and to stir the majority of eligible voters who traditionally don't participate in civic elections into action on Saturday. Charley Beresford, executive director for the Centre for Civic Government, said that low voter turnout in municipal elections means that only a small proportion of community members are choosing the path for the entire community."
"Communities are stronger when people are involved," Beresford said. "Voting for your local council or school board members can have a profound impact on community direction."
Members of the Young Professionals of Nanaimo showed up en masse Wednesday at the advance polling station at Bowen Park to vote and highlight the importance of participating in Saturday's election.
YPN president Leif Bogwald said the point of Wednesday's voting exercise was "to lead by example."
"We can't take voting in these elections for granted because these organizations control a lot of our money and the outcome of many local issues," he said.
"While the federal and provincial elections are important, the easiest way to make a difference in our daily lives is at the local level. So getting as many people out to vote is vitally important." It's a sentiment shared by the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber began a "Get Out and Vote" campaign in the city last spring by using media advertisements, public forums and the Internet.
Mike Thompson, chairman of the chamber committee behind the campaign, said the point of the campaign is not to tell people who they should vote for, but that it's "extremely important" to participate regardless of who they chose as their municipal representatives.
Thompson agreed that voting in municipal elections carried more weight.
"This election will impact almost every aspect of our lives, including everything from the price of your house to parking downtown," Thompson said.
"We've been doing our best to get this message out there, but I guess we won't know the results of our campaign until after Saturday's election." Both the YPN and the chamber are particularly interested in getting the city's youth, who have even lower voter participation rates than the rest of the population, out to the polls on Saturday.
"When I was a kid in the 1960s, young people took their right to vote very seriously," Thompson said.
"We need to see that kind of interest and participation in municipal elections from the younger generation again."
VOTER PARTICIPATION
Turnout in Nanaimo's last four municipal elections
Year Voters Votes %
1999 42,687 15,846 37%
2002 44,447 16,478 37.07%
2005 59,030 20,868 35.4%
2008 61,860 19,539 31.6%
Results of 2008 election
For mayor Votes
For mayor Votes * John Ruttan .................. 9,032
Diane Brennan ................ 6,975
Gary Korpan ..................... 3,119
Larry Iwaskow .................. 413
For council Votes
* Bill Bestwick .................. 10,759
* Jim Kipp ......................... 8,931
* Diana Johnstone ........ 7,342
* Bill Holdom .................... 7,307
* Loyd Sherry .................. 7,026
* Larry McNabb ............... 6,499
* Merv Unger ................... 6,285
* Fred Pattje ..................... 6,170
Angela Negrin ................. 6,032
Ted Greves ......................... 5,968
Gordon Fuller ................... 4,854
Mark McDonald .............. 4,832
Janet Cowling ................. 3,865
Ron Bolin ........................... 3,804
Pat Squire .......................... 3,649
Jack Arnold ...................... 3,337
Rob Campbell .................. 3,258
TerryLynn Saunders ..... 3,167
[Plus seven others under 3,000 votes] * elected
RBarron@nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4234
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